Dump valve assembly and method therefor

ABSTRACT

A dump valve assembly is disclosed. The dump valve assembly has a seat plug that couples to a southern end of a traveling valve, a standing valve, and a ball. The seat plug has two prongs that engage two corresponding slots within the standing valve and that lift the ball off of the standing valve in order to open the standing valve for pump drainage.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to oil pumps and standing valvesused, therein, and more specifically, to an improved dump valve assemblyand related method therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In general terms, an oil well pumping system begins with an above-groundpumping unit, which creates the up and down pumping action that movesthe oil (or other substance being pumped) out of the ground and into aflow line, from which the oil is taken to a storage tank or other suchstructure.

Below ground, a shaft is lined with piping know as “tubing.” A suckerrod, which is ultimately, indirectly coupled at its north end to thepumping unit is inserted into the tubing. The sucker rod is coupled atits south end indirectly to the oil pump itself, which is also locatedwithin the tubing, which is sealed at its base to the tubing. The suckerrod couples to the oil pump at a coupling known as a 3-wing cage.

Beginning at the south end, oil pumps generally include a standingvalve, which has a ball therein, the purpose of which is to regulate thepassage of oil (or other substance being pumped) from downhole into thepump, allowing the pumped matter to be moved northward out of the systemand into the flow line, while preventing the pumped matter from droppingback southward into the hole. Oil is permitted to pass through thestanding valve and into the pump by the movement of the ball off of itsseat, and oil is prevented from dropping back into the hole by theseating of the ball.

North of the standing valve, coupled to the sucker rod, is a travelingvalve. The purpose of a conventional traveling valve is to regulate thepassage of oil from within the pump northward in the direction of theflow line, while preventing the pumped oil from slipping back down inthe direction of the standing valve and hole.

In use, oil is pumped from a hole through a series of“downstrokes” and“upstrokes” of the oil pump, wherein these motions are imparted by theabove-ground pumping unit. During the upstroke, formation pressurecauses the ball in the standing valve to move upward, allowing the oilto pass through the standing valve and into the barrel of the oil pump.This oil will be held in place between the standing valve and thetraveling valve. In the conventional traveling valve, the ball islocated in the seated position. It is held there by the pressure fromthe oil that has been previously pumped. The oil located above thetraveling valve is moved northward in the direction of the 3-wing cageat the end of the oil pump.

During the downstroke, the ball in the conventional traveling valveunseats, permitting the oil that has passed through the standing valveto pass therethrough. Also during the downstroke, the ball in thestanding valve seats, preventing the pumped oil from slipping back downinto the hole.

The process repeats itself again and again, with oil essentially beingmoved in stages from the hole, to above the standing valve and in theoil pump, to above the travelling valve and out of the oil pump. As theoil pump fills, the oil passes through the 3-wing cage and into thetubing. As the tubing is filled, the oil passes into the flow line, fromwhich the oil is taken to a storage tank or other such structure.

In some oil production processes, it may be desirable to pump steam,chemical, or hot oil from the surface down the pump tubing and into theformation. In order to do this, the ball in the standing valve must beunseated so that pumped fluid may be drained back down through thestanding valve into the formation. One type of pumping system that iscurrently used may have a duck bill valve to move the ball to the sideand off of the seat of the standing valve, which requires that thestanding valve be large enough for the ball to move sideways. Having alarge standing valve, however, allows for the ball to move around toomuch, which eventually causes much wear to the interior of the standingvalve.

The present invention addresses this problem encountered in the priorart pumping systems, by minimizing pump damage caused by wear to theinterior of the standing valve.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment, a dump valve assembly for use with apump system is disclosed. The dump valve assembly comprises: a seat plugadapted to be coupled to a southern end of a traveling valve, the seatplug having two prongs; a standing valve having a body portion and anannular base, wherein the body portion comprises: two slots adapted toreceive the two prongs; at least one channel; and at least one port forallowing pumped fluid to pass therethrough; and a ball that is adaptedto be lifted by the two prongs in order to open the standing valve.

In accordance with another embodiment of a dump valve assembly for usewith a pump system is disclosed. The dump valve assembly comprises: aseat plug, the seat plug comprising: a body adapted to be coupled to asouthern end of a traveling valve; and at least two prongs extendingdownwardly from the body of the seat plug; a standing valve having abody portion and an annular base, wherein the body portion comprises: atleast two slots adapted to receive the at least two prongs; at least twochannels, wherein the at least two channels are positioned opposite fromeach other and wherein each channel is positioned between two of the atleast two slots; and at least four ports located proximate a southernend of the body portion, wherein one port is formed within each slot andeach channel and wherein the ports allow pumped fluid to pass upwardlytherethrough during an upstroke of pump system and also downwardlyduring a draining of the pump system; and a ball that is adapted to belifted by the at least two prongs in order to open the standing valveduring the draining of the pump system.

In accordance with another embodiment a method for draining a pumpsystem is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: providing a dumpvalve assembly, wherein the dump valve assembly comprises: a seat plugadapted to be coupled to a southern end of a traveling valve, the seatplug having two prongs; a standing valve having a body portion and anannular base, wherein the body portion comprises; two slots adapted toreceive the two prongs; two channels, wherein the channels arepositioned opposite from each other and wherein each channel ispositioned between the two slots; and four ports located proximate asouthern end of the body portion, wherein one port is formed within eachslot and each channel and wherein the ports allow pumped fluid to passupwardly therethrough during an upstroke of pump system and alsodownwardly during a draining of the pump system; and a ball positionedwithin the standing valve; pressing the traveling valve downwardly;inserting the two prongs of the seat plug into the two slots of thestanding valve; capturing the ball between the two prongs; lifting thetraveling valve upwardly in order to unseat the ball and to open thestanding valve; and draining pumped fluid downwardly through the portswithin the body portion of the standing valve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present application is further detailed with respect to thefollowing drawings. These figures are not intended to limit the scope ofthe present application, but rather, illustrate certain attributesthereof.

FIG. 1A is a side cross-sectional view of a dump valve assembly, inaccordance with one or more aspects of the present invention shown inuse within a pump barrel during regular pumping operations;

FIG. 1B is a side cross sectional view of the dump valve assembly ofFIG. 1 shown in use within a pump barrel during the draining process;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dump valve assembly, in accordancewith one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a seat plug of thedump valve assembly of FIG. 2, in accordance with one or more aspects ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the seat plug of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a standing valve ofthe dump valve assembly of FIG. 2, in accordance with one or moreaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the standing valve of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an alternate side view of the standing valve of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the standing valve of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the standing valve of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the standing valve of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is a bottom perspective view of the standing valve of FIG. 5;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the standingvalve of the dump valve assembly of FIG. 2, in accordance with one ormore aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the standing valve of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an alternate side view of the standing valve of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a top view of the standing valve of FIG. 12;

FIG. 16 is a bottom view of the standing valve of FIG. 12;

FIG. 17 is a side cross-sectional view of the standing valve of FIG. 12;

FIG. 18 a perspective view of another embodiment of the dump valveassembly, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentinvention;

FIG. 19 a perspective view of one embodiment of a seat plug of the dumpvalve assembly of FIG. 18, in accordance with one or more aspects of thepresent invention;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the standing valve ofthe dump valve assembly of FIG. 18, in accordance with one or moreaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a an alternate perspective view of the standing valve of FIG.20;

FIG. 22 is a side cross-sectional view of the standing valve of FIG. 20;

FIG. 23 is an exploded side view of the dump valve assembly of FIG. 18,shown with another embodiment of the standing valve;

FIG. 24 is a side cross-sectional view of the dump valve assembly ofFIG. 18, shown with the standing valve of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the dump valve assembly of FIG. 2,shown with the ball in a closed position in the standing valve;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the dump valve assembly of FIG. 2,shown with the ball in an open position in the standing valve;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the seat plug ofanother embodiment of the dump valve assembly, in accordance with one ormore aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 28 is a side view of the seat plug of FIG. 27;

FIG. 29 is an alternate side view of the seat plug of FIG. 27;

FIG. 30 is a side cross-sectional view of the seat plug of FIG. 27;

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the standingvalve of another embodiment of the dump valve assembly, in accordancewith one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 32 is a side view of the standing valve of FIG. 31;

FIG. 33 is an alternate side view of the standing valve of FIG. 31;

FIG. 34 is a side cross-sectional view of the standing valve of FIG. 31;

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the standingvalve of another embodiment of the dump valve assembly, in accordancewith one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 36 is a side view of the standing valve of FIG. 35;

FIG. 37 is an alternate side view of the standing valve of FIG. 35;

FIG. 38 is a side cross-sectional view of the standing valve of FIG. 35;

FIG. 39 is a bottom perspective view of the standing valve of FIG. 35;

FIG. 40 is perspective exploded view of another embodiment of the dumpvalve assembly, in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 41 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the dump valve assemblyof FIG. 40.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The description set forth below in connection with the appended drawingsis intended as a description of presently preferred embodiments of thedisclosure and is not intended to represent the only forms in which thepresent disclosure may be constructed and/or utilized. The descriptionsets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing andoperating the disclosure in connection with the illustrated embodiments.It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functionsand sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments that are alsointended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of thisdisclosure.

FIGS. 1A-39, together, disclose an embodiment of a dump valve assembly10 of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1A-2, the dump valveassembly 10 is adapted to be used with a pump system 800 and ispositioned within the pump barrel 802. The dump valve assembly 10 of thepresent invention may have a seat plug 12, a ball 20, and a standingvalve 22. The seat plug 12 is adapted to removably couple with thestanding valve 22. For example, in FIG. 1A, the pump is shown duringregular pumping operations, wherein the seat plug 12 is shown positionedabove the standing valve 22; the seat plug 12 is not yet engaging thestanding valve 22. Then, in FIG. 1B, the pump is shown during thedraining process, wherein the seat plug 12 is shown engaging thestanding valve 22 and the ball 20 of the standing valve 22 is shown asbeing held by the seat plug 12 and lifted off of the seat 809 that isbelow the standing valve 22. The standing valve 22 of the presentinvention may be used in lieu of a conventional standing valve and theseat plug 12 of the present invention may be coupled to a southern endof a conventional traveling valve 804. Alternatively, the seat plug 12may be coupled to the southern end of an anti-gas valve such as thevalve described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,987 or the valve described inU.S. Pat. No. 7,878,767, both of which were issued to the same inventorherein and are incorporated herein by reference.

FIGS. 3-4 show one embodiment of the seat plug 112 (referred togenerically as seat plug 12). This seat plug 112 may be adapted to matewith the embodiments of the standing valve 122, 222 shown in FIGS. 5-17(discussed below). The seat plug 112 may have a cylindrical body 114with a channel formed therethrough. The body 114 may have a firstsection 114 a and a second section 114 b, wherein the first section 114a has a smaller outer diameter than the second section 114 b. The firstsection 114 a may have threading 113 in order to couple it to thethreaded southern end of the traveling valve 804. The second section 114b may also have wrench flats 115 formed on its outer surface. The body114 may have two prongs 116 positioned opposite from each other andextending downwardly from a southern end of the body 114. It should beclearly understood, however, that any number of prongs 116 may be used.In one embodiment, the prongs 116 may be positioned parallel to eachother and may extend downwardly and perpendicularly from the southernend of the body 114. Alternatively, the prongs 116 may be slightlyangled so that the southern ends of the prongs 116 are closer togetherthan the northern ends of the prongs 116. In other words, the distancebetween the northern ends of the two prongs 116 may be equal to orslightly greater than the diameter of the ball 20 while the distancebetween the southern ends of the two prongs 116 may be smaller than thediameter of the ball 20. For example, if the ball 20 has a diameter of2.5 inches, then the space between the inner surfaces of the northernends of the two prongs 116 may also be 2.5 inches or it may be 2.5inches plus between 0.015-0.020 inches while the space between the innersurfaces of the southern ends of the two prongs 116 may be 2.5 inchesminus between 0.015-0.020 inches. Of course, the distance between thetwo prongs 116 depends upon the size of the ball 20 within the standingvalve 122, 222 that the seat plug 112 is mating with. Each of the prongs116 may be curved on their inner surfaces in order to correspond to thecurvature of the ball 20 that is housed within the standing valve 122,222.

The prongs 116 of the seat plug 112 may each have a tapered distal end118. The tapered distal ends 118 may each be concavely curved on itsinner surface so that the space between the inner surfaces of thetapered distal ends 118 is slightly greater than the space between theinner surfaces of the prongs 116 in the area above the tapered distalends 118. The space between the inner surfaces of the tapered distalends 118, however, may still be smaller than the diameter of the ball20. In furtherance of the example above, if the space between the innersurfaces of the southern ends of the two prongs 116 above the tapereddistal ends 118 is 2.5 inches minus between 0.015-0.020 inches, then thespace between the inner surfaces of the two tapered distal ends 118 ofthe prongs 116 may be approximately 1/16 inch greater. This allows thetapered distal ends 118 of the prongs 116 to fit around a top portion ofthe ball 20, which helps to guide the ball 20 into the space between theprongs 116 as the seat plug 112 is pushed downwardly onto the ball 20during the drainage process. Each of the tapered distal ends 118 of theprongs 116 may also be convexly curved on its outer surface in order tocorrespond to a concavely curved inner surface 139, 239 of the base 138,238 of the standing valve 122, 222 (discussed and shown in FIG. 8 andFIG. 15 below).

FIGS. 5-11 show one embodiment of the standing valve 122 (referred togenerically as standing valve 22) of the present invention. The standingvalve 122 may have a body portion 124, a stem 132 coupled to andextending upwardly from a northern end of the body portion 124, and anannular base 138 coupled to the southern end of the body portion 124.The body portion 124 of the standing valve 122 may have two opposingslots 126 (see FIG. 6) formed along the entire length of the bodyportion 124. The two opposing slots 126 are dimensioned to receive thetwo prongs 116 of the seat plug 112; i.e. the two prongs 116 of the seatplug 112 may slide downwardly into the two slots 126 and may slideupwardly out of the two slots 126. The number of slots 126 may equal thenumber of prongs 116 of the corresponding seat plug 112. The bodyportion 124 may also have two opposing channels 128 (see FIG. 7) formedalong the entire length of the body portion 124. Each channel 128 ispositioned between the two slots 126 (see FIG. 8). As shown, thechannels 128 may be narrower in width than the slots 126. If there aremore than two slots 126, then there may be more than two channels 128,wherein each channel 128 is positioned between two of the slots 126.

The body portion 124 of the standing valve 122 may also have a pluralityof ports 130. In this embodiment, the body portion 124 may have two topports 130 a (referred to generically as ports 130) located proximate anorthern end of the body portion 124 and may have four bottom ports 130b located proximate a southern end of the body portion 124. Each slot126 may have one top port 130 a and one bottom port 130 b (see FIG. 6).However, each channel 128 may have only one bottom port 130 b and maynot have a top port 130 a (see FIG. 7). The bottom ports 130 b (referredto generically as ports 130) are formed within the slots 126 and thechannels 128 and lead to the interior of the body portion 124 of thestanding valve 122. The bottom ports 130 b located within the slots 126may be in the shape of a half-oval or an inverted U (see FIG. 6) whilethe bottom ports 130 b located within the channels 128 may be in theshape of a complete oval (see FIG. 7). The top ports 130 a are formedonly within the slots 126 and may have a circular shape (see FIG. 6).Like the bottom ports 130 b, the top ports 130 a also lead to theinterior of body portion 124 of the standing valve 122 (see FIG. 10).The top ports 130 a may meet at a center port 130 c, which is locatedwithin the interior of the body portion 124 and positioned at a centerof the northern end of the body portion 124 (see FIG. 10 and FIG. 11).

During an upstroke of the pump assembly 806, formation pressure causesthe ball 20 within the standing valve 122 to unseat and move upward,allowing the pumped fluid (e.g. oil) to pass through the standing valve122 and up into the pump barrel 802 of the pump system 800. The pumpedfluid may pass through the annular base 138 of the standing valve 122,into interior of the body portion 124, and around the unseated ball 20.The pumped fluid may then exit the body portion 124 by flowing out ofthe ports 130. Pumped fluid may travel around the lower part of theunseated ball 20 and may exit the body portion 124 through the bottomports 130 b. Pumped fluid may also travel around the upper part of theunseated ball 20 and may exit the body portion 124 through the centerport 130 c and subsequently through the top ports 130 a. This flow ofthe pumped fluid creates a hydraulic cushion around the unseated ball 20within the interior of the body portion 124 which prevents the unseatedball 20 from moving too much within the interior of the body portion124, thereby minimizing wear and tear of the standing valve 122.

After the pumping operations have ceased, the ball 20 will fall backdown and seat itself, thereby closing the standing valve 122. If it isdesired to drain the pump tubing, the ball 20 within the standing valve122 must be moved in order to open the standing valve 122 and allow thedrainage to occur. The prongs 116 of the seat plug 112 may be loweredand slid into the corresponding slots 126 of the standing valve 122. Theinner surfaces of the tapered distal ends 118 of the prongs 116 willthen begin to engage the top portion of the ball 20. As mentioned above,the base 138 of the standing valve 122 may have a concavely curved innersurface 139 (see FIGS. 8 and 11) that is dimensioned to correspond withthe convexly curved outer surface of the tapered distal ends 118 of theprongs 116. The entire inner surface 139 of the base 138 of the standingvalve 122 may be concavely curved, or substantial benefit may still bederived if only some portions of the inner surface 139 of the base 138were curved (particularly, the areas of the base 138 that are directlybeneath the slots 126). Thus, as the seat plug 112 is pushed downwardly,the prongs 116 of the seat plug 112 will slightly spread apart as theball 20 is pushed between the two prongs 116. As the seat plug 112continues to push downwardly, the curved inner surface of the base 138of the standing valve 122 will engage the outer surfaces of the tapereddistal ends 118 of the prongs 116 and push the prongs 116 inwardly backtoward each other, thereby causing the ball 20 to be lifted and to beheld between the two prongs 116. With the ball 20 lifted and heldbetween the two prongs 116, the fluid that is to be drained may passdownwardly through the channel of the body 114 of the seat plug 112,through the channels 128, through the bottom ports 130 b of the channels128, into the interior of the body portion 124, around and underneaththe ball 20, through the base 138 of the standing valve 122 and backdown into the well formation. There may be some fluid that passesdownwardly through the slots 126 and through the bottom ports 130 b ofthe slots 126, but the majority of the fluid will drain through thebottom ports 130 b of the channels 128, rather than the bottom ports 130b of the slots 126.

The stem 132 of the standing valve 122 may have an annular ridge 134formed on its northern end, wherein the top surface 136 of the northernend of the stem 132 is slightly concave. The curvature of the topsurface 136 of the northern end of the stem 132 may correspond to thecurvature of the ball 805 (see FIGS. 1A-1B) of the traveling valve 804.This allows for more surface area of the top surface 136 of the stem 132to come in contact with the ball 805 of the traveling valve 804, therebycausing less damage to the ball 805 of the traveling valve 804. When thetraveling valve 804 is lowered, the prongs 116 of the seat plug 112slide into the slots 126 of the standing valve 122, and the stem 132will contact the ball 805 of the traveling valve 804 and push it up offof its seat, thereby opening the traveling valve 804 and allowing pumpedfluid to flow downwardly from the pump tubing, down through thetraveling valve 804, through the standing valve 122, and down into thewell formation.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the stem 132 may have achannel formed therethrough. This channel would allow for more flow areathrough the body portion 124 of the standing valve 122. This additionalflow area may help to reduce the movement of the ball 20 within theinterior of the body portion 124, thus lessening the wear and tear ofthe standing valve 122.

FIGS. 12-17 show another embodiment of the standing valve 222 (referredto generically as standing valve 22) of the present invention. Thestanding valve 222 may have a body portion 224, a stem 232 coupled toand extending upwardly from a northern end of the body portion 224, andan annular base 238 coupled to the southern end of the body portion 224.The body portion 224 of the standing valve 222 may have two opposingslots 226 (see FIG. 13) formed along the entire length of the bodyportion 224. The two opposing slots 226 are also dimensioned to receivethe two prongs 116 of the seat plug 112; i.e. the two prongs 116 of theseat plug 112 may slide downwardly into the two slots 226 and may slideupwardly out of the two slots 226. The number of slots 226 may equal thenumber of prongs 116 of the corresponding seat plug 112. The bodyportion 224 may also have two opposing channels 228 (see FIG. 14) formedalong the entire length of the body portion 224. Each channel 228 ispositioned between the two slots 226 (see FIG. 15). As shown, thechannels 228 may be narrower in width than the slots 226. If there aremore than two slots 226, then there may be more than two channels 228,wherein each channel 228 is positioned between two of the slots 226.

In this embodiment, the standing valve 222 may have four ports 231located proximate the southern end of the body portion 224. Each slot226 has one port 231 (see FIG. 13) formed therein and each channel 228has one port 231 formed therein (see FIG. 14). The ports 231 are formedwithin the slots 226 and the channels 228 and all lead to the interiorof the body portion 224 of the standing valve 222. The ports 231 locatedwithin the slots 226 may be in the shape of a half-oval or an inverted U(see FIG. 13); while the ports 231 located within the channels 228 maybe in the shape of a complete oval (see FIG. 14).

In this embodiment, the ports 231 located within the channels 228 extendalong a greater portion of the length of the channels 228 than thebottom ports 130 b within the channels 128 shown in the embodiment ofthe standing valve 122 of FIGS. 5-11 do. The length of each of thechannels 228 may be greater than the diameter of the ball 20. Forexample, the ports 231 within the channels 228 may be approximately 0.5inch longer than the bottom ports 130 b within the channels 128 shown inthe embodiment of the standing valve 122 of FIGS. 5-11. These longerports 231 within the channels 228 are needed because there are no topports 130 a in this embodiment of the standing valve 222.

During the upstroke of the pump assembly 806, formation pressure causesthe ball 20 within the standing valve 222 to unseat and move upward,allowing the pumped fluid (e.g. oil) to pass through the standing valve222 and up into the pump barrel 802 of the pump system 800. With thisembodiment, the pumped fluid may pass through the annular base 238 ofthe standing valve 222, into interior of the body portion 224, andaround the unseated ball 20. The pumped fluid may then exit the bodyportion 224 by flowing out of the ports 231. Pumped fluid may travelaround the lower part of the unseated ball 20 and may exit the bodyportion 224 through the ports 231 formed within the slots 226 andthrough a bottom portion of the ports 231 formed within the channels228. Pumped fluid may also travel around the upper part of the unseatedball 20 and may exit the body portion 224 through a top portion of theports 231 formed within the channels 228. This configuration (i.e. thestanding valve 222 having longer ports 231 within the channels 228instead of the standing valve 122 having the combination of a top port130 a and a short bottom port 130 b within the channels 128) also allowsthe flow of the pumped fluid to create a hydraulic cushion around theunseated ball 20 within the interior of the body portion 224 whichprevents the unseated ball 20 from moving too much within the interiorof the body portion 224, thereby minimizing wear and tear of thestanding valve 222.

After the pumping operations have ceased, the ball 20 will fall backdown and seat itself, thereby closing the standing valve 222. If it isdesired to drain the pump tubing, the ball 20 within the standing valve222 must be moved in order to open the standing valve 222 and allow thedrainage to occur. The prongs 116 of the seat plug 112 may be loweredand slid into the corresponding slots 226 of the standing valve 222. Theinner surfaces of the tapered distal ends 118 of the prongs 116 willthen begin to engage the top portion of the ball 20. The base 238 of thestanding valve 222 may also have a curved inner surface 239 (see FIG.15) that is dimensioned to correspond with the outer surface of thetapered distal ends 118 of the prongs 116 of the seat plug 112. Theentire inner surface 239 of the base 238 of the standing valve 222 maybe curved, or substantial benefit may still be derived if only someportions of the inner surface 239 of the base 238 were curved(particularly, the areas of the base 238 that are directly beneath theslots 226). Thus, as the seat plug 112 is pushed downwardly, the prongs116 will slightly spread apart as the ball 20 is pushed between the twoprongs 116. As the seat plug 112 continues to push downwardly, thecurved inner surface 239 of the base 238 of the standing valve 222 willengage the outer surfaces of the tapered distal ends 118 of the prongs116 and push the prongs 116 inwardly back toward each other, therebycausing the ball 20 to be lifted and to be held between the two prongs116. With the ball 20 lifted and held between the two prongs 116, thefluid that is to be drained may pass downwardly through the channel ofthe body 114 of the seat plug 112, through the channels 228 of the bodyportion 224 of the standing valve 222, through the ports 231 of thechannels 228, into the interior of the body portion 224, around andunderneath the ball 20, through the base 238 of the standing valve 222and back down into the well formation. There may be some fluid thatpasses downwardly through the slots 226 and through the ports 231 of theslots 226, but the majority of the fluid will drain through the ports231 of the channels 228, rather than the ports 231 of the slots 226.

The stem 232 of the standing valve 222 in this embodiment may also havean annular ridge 234 formed on its northern end, wherein the top surface236 of the northern end of the stem 232 is slightly concave. Thecurvature of the top surface 236 of the northern end of the stem 232 ofthis embodiment may also correspond to the curvature of the ball 805(see FIGS. 1A-1B) of the traveling valve 804. This allows for moresurface area of the top surface 236 of the stem 232 to come in contactwith the ball 805 of the traveling valve 804, thereby causing lessdamage to the ball 805 of the traveling valve 804. When the travelingvalve 804 is lowered, the prongs 116 of the seat plug 112 slide into theslots 226 of the standing valve 222, and the stem 232 will contact theball 805 of the traveling valve 804 and push it up off of its seat,thereby opening the traveling valve 804 and allowing pumped fluid toflow downwardly from the pump tubing, down through the traveling valve804, through the standing valve 222, and down into the well formation.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the stem 232 may have achannel formed therethrough. This channel would allow for more flow areathrough the body portion 224 of the standing valve 222. This additionalflow area may help to reduce the movement of the ball 20 within theinterior of the body portion 224, thus lessening the wear and tear ofthe standing valve 222.

FIGS. 18-24 show another embodiment of the dump valve assembly 10 of thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 18, the dump valve assembly 10 has astanding valve 322, 422 and a seat plug 212. The seat plug 212 (referredto generically as seat plug 12) is adapted to mate with the standingvalve 322, 422. Referring to FIG. 19, one embodiment of the seat plug212 of the dump valve assembly 10 is shown. The seat plug 212 isdimensioned to mate with standing valve 322, 422 (described below). Theseat plug 212 may have a cylindrical body 214 with a channel formedtherethrough. The body 214 may have a first section 214 a and a secondsection 214 b, wherein the first section 214 a has a smaller outerdiameter than the second section 214 b. The first section 214 a may havethreading 213 in order to couple it to the threaded southern end of thetraveling valve 804. The second section 214 b may also have wrench flats215 formed on its outer surface. The body 214 may have two prongs 216positioned opposite from each other and extending downwardly from asouthern end of the body 214. It should be clearly understood, however,that any number of prongs 216 may be used. In this embodiment, theprongs 216 may extend downwardly and helically from the southern end ofthe body 214 (see FIG. 19). The prongs 116 may be slightly angled sothat the southern ends of the prongs 216 are closer together than thenorthern ends of the prongs 216. In other words, the distance betweenthe northern ends of the two prongs 216 may be equal to or slightlygreater than the diameter of the ball 20 while the distance between thesouthern ends of the two prongs 216 may be smaller than the diameter ofthe ball 20. For example, if the ball 20 has a diameter of 2.5 inches,then the space between the inner surfaces of the northern ends of thetwo prongs 216 may also be 2.5 inches or it may be 2.5 inches plusbetween 0.015-0.020 inches while the space between the inner surfaces ofthe southern ends of the two prongs 216 may be 2.5 inches minus between0.015-0.020 inches. Of course, the distance between the two prongs 216depends upon the size of the ball 20 within the standing valve 322, 422that the seat plug 212 is mating with. Each of the prongs 216 may becurved on their inner surfaces in order to correspond to the curvatureof the ball 20 that is housed within the standing valve 322, 422. Theprongs 216 of the seat plug 212 may be positioned a predetermineddistance apart; e.g. the space between the inner surfaces of the prongs216 may be smaller than the diameter of the ball 20.

The prongs 216 of the seat plug 212 may each have a tapered distal end218. The tapered distal ends 218 may each be tapered on its innersurface so that the space between the inner surfaces of the tapereddistal ends 218 is slightly greater than the space between the innersurfaces of the prongs 216 in the area above the tapered distal ends218. The space between the inner surfaces of the tapered distal ends218, however, may still be smaller than the diameter of the ball 20. Infurtherance of the example above, if the space between the innersurfaces of the southern ends of the two prongs 216 above the tapereddistal ends 218 is 2.5 inches minus between 0.015-0.020 inches, then thespace between the inner surfaces of the two tapered distal ends 218 ofthe prongs 216 may be approximately 1/16 inch greater. This allows thetapered distal ends 218 of the prongs 216 to fit around a top portion ofthe ball 20, which helps to guide the ball 20 into the space between theprongs 216 as the seat plug 212 is pushed downwardly onto the ball 20during the drainage process. Each of the tapered distal ends 218 of theprongs 216 may also be tapered on its outer surface in order tocorrespond to a curved interior surface 339, 439 of the base 338, 438 ofthe standing valve 322, 422 (discussed and shown in FIG. 20 and FIG. 24below).

Referring to FIGS. 20-22, the standing valve 322 (referred togenerically as standing valve 22) has a body portion 324, a stem 332coupled to and extending upwardly from a northern end of the bodyportion 324, and an annular base 338 coupled to the southern end of thebody portion 324. The body portion 324 of the standing valve 322 mayhave two opposing slots 326 (see FIG. 20) formed along the entire lengthof the body portion 324. The two opposing slots 326 are also dimensionedto receive the two prongs 216 of the seat plug 212; i.e. the two prongs216 of the seat plug 212 may slide downwardly into the two slots 326 andmay slide upwardly out of the two slots 326. The number of slots 326 mayequal the number of prongs 216 of the corresponding seat plug 212. Thebody portion 324 may also have two opposing channels 328 (see FIG. 21)formed along the entire length of the body portion 324. Each channel 328is positioned between the two slots 326 (see FIG. 20). As shown, thechannels 328 may be narrower in width than the slots 326. If there aremore than two slots 326, then there may be more than two channels 328,wherein each channel 328 is positioned between two of the slots 326.

The body portion 324 of the standing valve 322 may also have a pluralityof ports 330. In this embodiment, the body portion 324 may have two topports 330 a located proximate a northern end of the body portion 324 andfour bottom ports 330 b located proximate a southern end of the bodyportion 324. Each slot 326 may have one top port 330 a and one bottomport 330 b (see FIG. 20). However, each channel 328 may have only onebottom port 330 b and may not have a top port 330 a (see FIG. 20). Thebottom ports 330 b are formed within the slots 326 and the channels 328and lead to the interior of the body portion 324 of the standing valve322. The bottom ports 330 b located within the slots 326 may be in theshape of a slanted half-oval or an inverted U (see FIG. 20); the bottomports 330 b located within the channels 328 may be in the shape of aslanted complete oval. The top ports 330 a are formed only within theslots 326 and may have a circular shape (see FIG. 20). Like the bottomports 330 b, the top ports 330 a also lead to the interior of bodyportion 324 of the standing valve 322. The top ports 330 a may meet at acenter port 230 c (see FIG. 22), which is located within the interior ofthe body portion 324 and positioned at a center of the northern end ofthe body portion 324.

During the upstroke of the pump assembly 806, formation pressure causesthe ball 20 within the standing valve 322 to unseat and move upward,allowing the pumped fluid (e.g. oil) to pass through the standing valve322 and up into the pump barrel 802 of the pump system 800. The pumpedfluid may pass through the annular base 338 of the standing valve 322,into interior of the body portion 324, and around the unseated ball 20.The pumped fluid may then exit the body portion 324 by flowing out ofthe ports 330. Pumped fluid may travel around the lower part of theunseated ball 20 and may exit the body portion 324 through the bottomports 330 b. Pumped fluid may also travel around the upper part of theunseated ball 20 and may exit the body portion 324 through the centerport 230 c and the top ports 330 a. This flow of the pumped fluidcreates a hydraulic cushion around the unseated ball 20 within theinterior of the body portion 324 which prevents the unseated ball 20from moving too much within the interior of the body portion 324,thereby minimizing wear and tear of the standing valve 322.

In this embodiment, the body portion 324 has a helical or spiral shapethroughout its entire length. The helical shape of the body portion 324of the standing valve 322 is beneficial for high volume gassy oil wells.As the pumped fluid exits the body portion 324 of the standing valve 322through the ports 330, the helical shape of the body portion 324 impartsa cyclone effect on the pumped fluid during an upstroke of the pumpassembly 806, creating a centrifuge with the pumped fluid. This cycloneeffect forces heavier material (i.e. pumped fluid that contains solidssuch as sand) outward while the gas within the pumped fluid moves towardthe center of the pump assembly 806. This causes the formation of avertical column of gas, thereby allowing the gas to quickly evacuatefrom the valve area. Without the helical shape of the body portion 324,in a highly gassy fluid, the gas would be broken up within the pumpedfluid as gas bubbles, which will move slowly through the valve systemcausing inherent gas lock to the pump. Gas lock reduces the efficiencyof pumping operations and thus costs the operator more money to retrievethe oil from the well.

After the pumping operations have ceased, the ball 20 will fall backdown and seat itself, thereby closing the standing valve 322. If it isdesired to drain the pump tubing, the ball 20 within the standing valve322 must be moved in order to open the standing valve 322 and allow thedrainage to occur. The prongs 216 of the seat plug 212 may be loweredand slid into the corresponding slots 326 of the standing valve 322. Theinner surfaces of the tapered distal ends 218 of the prongs 216 willthen begin to engage the top portion of the ball 20. The base 338 of thestanding valve 322 may have a curved inner surface 339 (see FIG. 20)that is dimensioned to correspond with the outer surface of the tapereddistal ends 218 of the prongs 216. The entire inner surface 339 of thebase 338 of the standing valve 322 may be curved, or substantial benefitmay still be derived if only some portions of the inner surface 339 ofthe base 338 were curved (particularly, the areas of the base 338 thatare directly beneath the slots 326). Thus, as the seat plug 212 ispushed downwardly, the prongs 216 will slightly spread apart as the ball20 is pushed between the two prongs 216. As the seat plug 212 continuesto push downwardly, the curved inner surface 339 of the base 338 of thestanding valve 322 will engage the outer surfaces of the tapered distalends 218 of the prongs 216 and push the prongs 216 inwardly back towardeach other, thereby causing the ball 20 to be lifted and to be heldbetween the two prongs 216. With the ball 20 lifted and held between thetwo prongs 216, the fluid that is to be drained may pass downwardlythrough the channel of the body 214 of the seat plug 212, through thechannels 328 of the standing valve 322, through the bottom ports 330 bof the channels 328, into the interior of the body portion 324 of thestanding valve 322, around and underneath the ball 20, through the base338 of the standing valve 322 and back down into the well formation.There may be some fluid that passes downwardly through the slots 326 andthrough the bottom ports 330 b of the slots 326, but the majority of thefluid will drain through the bottom ports 330 b of the channels 328,rather than the bottom ports 330 b of the slots 326.

The stem 332 of the standing valve 322 may have an annular ridge 334formed on its northern end, wherein the top surface 336 of the northernend of the stem 332 is slightly concave. The curvature of the topsurface 336 of the northern end of the stem 332 of this embodiment mayalso correspond to the curvature of the ball 805 (see FIGS. 1A-1B) ofthe traveling valve 804. This allows for more surface area of the topsurface 336 of the stem 332 to come in contact with the ball 805 of thetraveling valve 804, thereby causing less damage to the ball 805 of thetraveling valve 804. When the traveling valve 804 is lowered, the prongs216 of the seat plug 212 slide into the slots 326 of the standing valve322, and the stem 332 will contact the ball 805 of the traveling valve804 and push it up off of its seat, thereby opening the traveling valve804 and allowing pumped fluid to flow downwardly from the pump tubing,down through the traveling valve 804, through the standing valve 322,and down into the well formation.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the stem 332 may have achannel formed therethrough. This channel would allow for more flow areathrough the body portion 324 of the standing valve 322. This additionalflow area may help to reduce the movement of the ball 20 within theinterior of the body portion 324, thus lessening the wear and tear ofthe standing valve 322.

Referring to FIGS. 23-24, the standing valve 422 (referred togenerically as standing valve 22) has a body portion 424, a stem 432coupled to and extending upwardly from a northern end of the bodyportion 424, and an annular base 438 coupled to the southern end of thebody portion 424. The body portion 424 of the standing valve 422 mayhave two opposing slots 426 (see FIG. 23) formed along the entire lengthof the body portion 424. The two opposing slots 426 are also dimensionedto receive the two prongs 216 of the seat plug 212; i.e. the two prongs216 of the seat plug 212 may slide downwardly into the two slots 426 andmay slide upwardly out of the two slots 426. The number of slots 426 mayequal the number of prongs 216 of the corresponding seat plug 212. Thebody portion 424 may also have two opposing channels 428 (see FIG. 23)formed along the entire length of the body portion 424. Each channel 428is positioned between the two slots 426 (see FIG. 23). As shown, thechannels 428 may be narrower in width than the slots 426. If there aremore than two slots 426, then there may be more than two channels 428,wherein each channel 428 is positioned between two of the slots 426.

In this embodiment, the standing valve 422 may have four ports 431located proximate the southern end of the body portion 424. Each slot426 has one port 431 (see FIG. 23) formed therein and each channel 428has one port 431 formed therein (see FIG. 23). The ports 431 are formedwithin the slots 426 and the channels 428 and all lead to the interiorof the body portion 424 of the standing valve 422. The ports 431 locatedwithin the slots 426 may be in the shape of a slanted half-oval or aninverted U (see FIG. 23); while the ports 431 located within thechannels 428 may be in the shape of a slanted complete oval (see FIG.23).

During the upstroke of the pump assembly 806, formation pressure causesthe ball 20 within the standing valve 422 to unseat and move upward,allowing the pumped fluid (e.g. oil) to pass through the standing valve422 and up into the pump barrel 802 of the pump system 800. The pumpedfluid may pass through the annular base 438 of the standing valve 422,into interior of the body portion 424, and around the unseated ball 20.The pumped fluid may then exit the body portion 424 by flowing out ofthe ports 431. Pumped fluid may travel around the lower part of theunseated ball 20 and may exit the body portion 424 through the ports 431formed within the slots 426 and through a bottom portion of the ports431 formed within the channels 428. Pumped fluid may also travel aroundthe upper part of the unseated ball 20 and may exit the body portion 424through a top portion of the ports 431 formed within the channels 428.This flow of the pumped fluid creates a hydraulic cushion around theunseated ball 20 within the interior of the body portion 424 whichprevents the unseated ball 20 from moving too much within the interiorof the body portion 424, thereby minimizing wear and tear of thestanding valve 422.

In this embodiment, the body portion 424 has a helical or spiral shapethroughout its entire length. The helical shape of the body portion 424of the standing valve 422 is beneficial for high volume gassy oil wells.As the pumped fluid exits the body portion 424 of the standing valve 422through the ports 430, the helical shape of the body portion 424 impartsa cyclone effect on the pumped fluid during an upstroke of the pumpassembly 806, creating a centrifuge with the pumped fluid. This cycloneeffect forces heavier material (i.e. pumped fluid that contains solidssuch as sand) outward while the gas within the pumped fluid moves towardthe center of the pump assembly 806. This causes the formation of avertical column of gas, thereby allowing the gas to quickly evacuatefrom the valve area. Without the helical shape of the body portion 424,in a highly gassy fluid, the gas would be broken up within the pumpedfluid as gas bubbles, which will move slowly through the valve systemcausing inherent gas lock to the pump. Gas lock reduces the efficiencyof pumping operations and thus costs the operator more money to retrievethe oil from the well.

After the pumping operations have ceased, the ball 20 will fall backdown and seat itself, thereby closing the standing valve 422. If it isdesired to drain the pump tubing, the ball 20 within the standing valve422 must be moved in order to open the standing valve 422 and allow thedrainage to occur. The prongs 216 of the seat plug 212 may be loweredand slid into the corresponding slots 426 of the standing valve 422. Theinner surfaces of the tapered distal ends 218 of the prongs 216 willthen begin to engage the top portion of the ball 20. The base 438 of thestanding valve 422 may have a curved inner surface 439 that isdimensioned to correspond with the outer surface of the tapered distalends 218 of the prongs 216. The entire inner surface 439 of the base 438of the standing valve 422 may be curved, or substantial benefit maystill be derived if only some portions of the inner surface 439 of thebase 438 were curved (particularly, the areas of the base 438 that aredirectly beneath the slots 426). Thus, as the seat plug 212 is pusheddownwardly, the prongs 216 will slightly spread apart as the ball 20 ispushed between the two prongs 216. As the seat plug 212 continues topush downwardly, the curved inner surface 439 of the base 438 of thestanding valve 422 will engage the outer surfaces of the tapered distalends 218 of the prongs 216 and push the prongs 216 inwardly back towardeach other, thereby causing the ball 20 to be lifted and to be heldbetween the two prongs 216. With the ball 20 lifted and held between thetwo prongs 216, the fluid that is to be drained may pass downwardlythrough the channel of the body 214 of the seat plug 212, through thechannels 428 of the standing valve 422, through the ports 431 of thechannels 428, into the interior of the body portion 424 of the standingvalve 422, around and underneath the ball 20, through the base 438 ofthe standing valve 422 and back down into the well formation. There maybe some fluid that passes downwardly through the slots 426 and throughthe ports 431 of the slots 426, but the majority of the fluid will drainthrough the ports 431 of the channels 428, rather than the ports 431 ofthe slots 426.

The stem 432 of the standing valve 422 may have an annular ridge 434formed on its northern end, wherein the top surface 436 of the northernend of the stem 432 is slightly concave. The curvature of the topsurface 436 of the northern end of the stem 432 of this embodiment mayalso correspond to the curvature of the ball 805 (see FIGS. 1A-1B) ofthe traveling valve 804. This allows for more surface area of the topsurface 436 of the stem 432 to come in contact with the ball 805 of thetraveling valve 804, thereby causing less damage to the ball 805 of thetraveling valve 804. When the traveling valve 804 is lowered, the prongs216 of the seat plug 212 slide into the slots 426 of the standing valve422, and the stem 432 will contact the ball 805 of the traveling valve804 and push it up off of its seat, thereby opening the traveling valve804 and allowing pumped fluid to flow downwardly from the pump tubing,down through the traveling valve 804, through the standing valve 422,and down into the well formation.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the stem 432 may have achannel formed therethrough. This channel would allow for more flow areathrough the body portion 424 of the standing valve 422. This additionalflow area may help to reduce the movement of the ball 20 within theinterior of the body portion 424, thus lessening the wear and tear ofthe standing valve 422.

FIGS. 25-26 show the embodiment of the dump valve assembly 10 of FIG. 2the present invention in operation. In FIG. 25, the prongs 116 of theseat plug 112 are shown being lowered into the slots 126, 226 of thestanding valve 122, 222. In FIG. 26, after the traveling valve 804 hasbeen pushed downwardly during the draining process, the prongs 116 ofthe seat plug 112 engage the ball 20 of the standing valve 122, 222 andlift the ball 20 so that pumped fluid may flow downwardly back down intothe well formation.

FIG. 27-30 show another embodiment of the seat plug 312 (referred togenerically as seat plug 12) of the present invention. This seat plug312 may be adapted to mate with the embodiments of the standing valve522, 622 shown in FIGS. 31-39 (discussed below). In this embodiment, theseat plug 312 may have a cylindrical body 314 with a channel formedtherethrough. The body 314 may have a first section 314 a and a secondsection 314 b, wherein the first section 314 a has a smaller outerdiameter than the second section 314 b. The first section 314 a may havethreading in order to couple it to the threaded southern end of ananti-gas valve. The second section 314 b may also have wrench flatsformed on its outer surface. The second section 314 b may have angledbottom edges 340 (see FIGS. 28 and 29) so that the seat plug 312 willmate with the corresponding standing valve 522, 622 (discussed below).The body 314 may have two prongs 316 positioned opposite from each otherand extending downwardly from a southern end of the body 314. It shouldbe clearly understood, however, that any number of prongs 316 may beused. In this embodiment, the prongs 316 may also be positioned parallelto each other and may extend downwardly and perpendicularly from thesouthern end of the body 314. Alternatively, the prongs 316 may beslightly angled so that the southern ends of the prongs 316 are closertogether than the northern ends of the prongs 316. In other words, thedistance between the northern ends of the two prongs 316 may be equal toor slightly greater than the diameter of the ball 20 while the distancebetween the southern ends of the two prongs 316 may be smaller than thediameter of the ball 20. For example, if the ball 20 has a diameter of2.5 inches, then the space between the inner surfaces of the northernends of the two prongs 316 may also be 2.5 inches or it may be 2.5inches plus between 0.015-0.020 inches while the space between the innersurfaces of the southern ends of the two prongs 316 may be 2.5 inchesminus between 0.015-0.020 inches. Of course, the distance between thetwo prongs 316 depends upon the size of the ball 20 within the standingvalve 522, 622 that the seat plug 312 is mating with. Each of the prongs316 may be curved on their inner surfaces in order to correspond to thecurvature of the ball 20 that is housed within the correspondingstanding valve 522, 622. The prongs 316 may be positioned apredetermined distance apart; e.g. the space between the inner surfacesof the prongs 316 may be smaller than the diameter of the ball 20.

The prongs 316 of the seat plug 312 may each have a tapered distal end318. The tapered distal ends 318 may each be tapered on its innersurface so that the space between the inner surfaces of the tapereddistal ends 318 is slightly greater than the space between the innersurfaces of the prongs 316 in the area above the tapered distal ends318. The space between the inner surfaces of the tapered distal ends318, however, may still be smaller than the diameter of the ball 20. Infurtherance of the example above, if the space between the innersurfaces of the southern ends of the two prongs 316 above the tapereddistal ends 318 is 2.5 inches minus between 0.015-0.020 inches, then thespace between the inner surfaces of the two tapered distal ends 318 ofthe prongs 316 may be approximately 1/16 inch greater. This allows thetapered distal ends 318 of the prongs 316 to fit around a top portion ofthe ball 20, which helps to guide the ball 20 into the space between theprongs 316 as the seat plug 312 is pushed downwardly onto the ball 20during the drainage process. Each of the tapered distal ends 318 of theprongs 316 may also be tapered on its outer surface in order tocorrespond to the curved interior surface 539, 639 of the base 538, 638of the standing valve 522, 622 (discussed and shown in FIG. 31 and FIG.35 below).

FIGS. 31-34 show another embodiment of the standing valve 522 (referredto generically as standing valve 22) of the present invention. Thestanding valve 522 may have a body portion 524 and an annular base 538coupled to the southern end of the body portion 524. This embodiment ofthe standing valve 522 does not have a stem. In certain situationswherein the well formation has gas issues, an anti gas-valve such as theanti-gas valve described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,987 or the anti-gasvalve described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,878,767 may be needed. The seat plug312 may be coupled to the southern end of the anti-gas valve. In thosecases, the standing valve 522 would not need a stem since the anti-gasvalves are positive open and would lift the ball 805 of the travelingvalve 804 with a drag plunger.

The body portion 524 of the standing valve 522 may have two opposingslots 526 (see FIG. 32) formed along a portion of the length of the bodyportion 524. The two opposing slots 526 are dimensioned to receive thetwo prongs 316 of the seat plug 312; i.e. the two prongs 316 of the seatplug 312 may slide downwardly into the two slots 526 and may slideupwardly out of the two slots 526. The number of slots 526 may equal thenumber of prongs 316 of the corresponding seat plug 312. The bodyportion 524 may also have two opposing channels 528 (see FIG. 33) formedalong a portion of the length of the body portion 524. Each channel 528is positioned between the two slots 526. As shown, the channels 528 maybe narrower in width than the slots 526. If there are more than twoslots 526, then there may be more than two channels 528, wherein eachchannel 528 is positioned between two of the slots 526.

The body portion 524 of the standing valve 522 may also have afrustoconical top 542 and a helical groove 544. The helical groove 544may be formed within a northern part of the body portion 524 of thestanding valve 522 and may spiral downwardly along the length of thebody portion 524 from the frustoconical top 542 to a point positionedabove one of the slots 526 (see FIG. 32).

In this embodiment, the standing valve 522 may have four ports 531located proximate the southern end of the body portion 524. Each slot526 has one port 531 (see FIG. 32) formed therein and each channel 528has one port 531 formed therein (see FIG. 33). The ports 531 are formedwithin the slots 526 and the channels 528 and all lead to the interiorof the body portion 524 of the standing valve 522 (see FIG. 34). Theports 531 located within the slots 526 may be in the shape of ahalf-oval or an inverted U (see FIG. 32); while the ports 531 locatedwithin the channels 528 may be in the shape of a complete oval (see FIG.33). The ports 531 located within the channels 528 may be shorter inlength than the ports 531 located within the slots 526. The standingvalve 522 may also have a center port 531 c (see FIG. 34) located withinthe interior of the body portion 524 and positioned at a center of thenorthern end of the body portion 524. The center port 531 c also leadsto the interior of the body portion 524.

During the upstroke of the pump assembly 806, formation pressure causesthe ball 20 within the standing valve 522 to unseat and move upward,allowing the pumped fluid (e.g. oil) to pass through the standing valve522 and up into the pump barrel 802 of the pump system 800. With thisembodiment, the pumped fluid may pass through the annular base 538 ofthe standing valve 522, into interior of the body portion 524, andaround the unseated ball 20. The pumped fluid may then exit the bodyportion 524 by flowing out of the ports 531. Pumped fluid may travelaround the lower part of the unseated ball 20 and may exit the bodyportion 524 through the ports 531 formed within the slots 526 andthrough the ports 531 formed within the channels 528. Pumped fluid mayalso travel around the upper part of the unseated ball 20 and may exitthe body portion 524 through the center port 531 c. The flow of thepumped fluid creates a hydraulic cushion around the unseated ball 20within the interior of the body portion 524 which prevents the unseatedball 20 from moving too much within the interior of the body portion524, thereby minimizing wear and tear of the standing valve 522.

After the pumping operations have ceased, the ball 20 will fall backdown and seat itself, thereby closing the standing valve 522. If it isdesired to drain the pump tubing, the ball 20 within the standing valve522 must be moved in order to open the standing valve 522 and allow thedrainage to occur. The prongs 316 of the seat plug 312 may be loweredand slid into the corresponding slots 526 of the standing valve 522. Ifthe prongs 316 of the seat plug 312 do not properly align with thecorresponding slots 526, the prongs 316 may contact and slide downwardlyand helically along the helical groove 544 formed on the body portion524 of the standing valve 522. The helical groove 544, therefore, helpsto guide the prongs 316 of the seat plug 312 into the correspondingslots 526. The inner surfaces of the tapered distal ends 318 of theprongs 316 will then begin to engage the top portion of the ball 20. Thebase 538 of the standing valve 522 may also have a curved inner surface539 that is dimensioned to correspond with the outer surface of thetapered distal ends 318 of the prongs 316 of the seat plug 312. Theentire inner surface 539 of the base 538 of the standing valve 522 maybe curved, or substantial benefit may still be derived if only someportions of the inner surface 539 of the base 538 were curved(particularly, the areas of the base 538 that are directly beneath theslots 526). Thus, as the seat plug 312 is pushed downwardly, the prongs316 will slightly spread apart as the ball 20 is pushed between the twoprongs 316. As the seat plug 312 continues to push downwardly, thecurved inner surface 539 of the base 538 of the standing valve 522 willengage the outer surfaces of the tapered distal ends 318 of the prongs316 and push the prongs 316 inwardly back toward each other, therebycausing the ball 20 to be lifted and to be held between the two prongs316. With the ball 20 lifted and held between the two prongs 316, thefluid that is to be drained may pass downwardly through the channel ofthe body 314 of the seat plug 312, through the channels 528 of the bodyportion 524 of the standing valve 522, through the ports 531 of thechannels 528, into the interior of the body portion 524, around andunderneath the ball 20, through the base 538 of the standing valve 522and back down into the well formation. There may be some fluid thatpasses downwardly through center port 531 c and/or the slots 526 andthrough the ports 531 of the slots 526, but the majority of the fluidwill drain through the ports 531 of the channels 528, rather than theports 531 of the slots 526.

FIGS. 35-39 show another embodiment of the standing valve 622 (referredto generically as standing valve 22) of the present invention. Thestanding valve 622 may have a body portion 624, a stem 632, and anannular base 638 coupled to the southern end of the body portion 624.The body portion 624 of the standing valve 622 may have two opposingslots 626 (see FIG. 36) formed along a portion of the length of the bodyportion 624. The two opposing slots 626 are dimensioned to receive thetwo prongs 316 of the seat plug 312; i.e. the two prongs 316 of the seatplug 312 may slide downwardly into the two slots 626 and may slideupwardly out of the two slots 626. The number of slots 626 may equal thenumber of prongs 316 of the corresponding seat plug 312. The bodyportion 624 may also have two opposing channels 628 (see FIG. 37) formedalong a portion of the length of the body portion 624. Each channel 628is positioned between the two slots 626. As shown, the channels 628 maybe narrower in width than the slots 626. If there are more than twoslots 626, then there may be more than two channels 628, wherein eachchannel 628 is positioned between two of the slots 626.

The body portion 624 of the standing valve 622 may also have afrustoconical top 642 and a helical groove 644. The stem 632 may becoupled to and extend upwardly from the frustoconical top 642 of thebody portion 624 of the standing valve 622. The helical groove 644 maybe formed within the body portion 624 of the standing valve 622 and mayspiral downwardly along the length of the body portion 624 from thefrustoconical top 642 to a point positioned above one of the slots 626(see FIG. 35).

In this embodiment, the standing valve 622 may have four ports 631located proximate the southern end of the body portion 624. Each slot626 has one port 631 (see FIG. 36) formed therein and each channel 628has one port 631 formed therein (see FIG. 37). The ports 631 are formedwithin the slots 626 and the channels 628 and all lead to the interiorof the body portion 624 of the standing valve 622. The ports 631 locatedwithin the slots 626 may be in the shape of a half-oval or an inverted U(see FIG. 36); while the ports 631 located within the channels 628 maybe in the shape of a complete oval (see FIG. 37). The ports 631 locatedwithin the channels 628 may be shorter in length than the ports 631located within the slots 626.

During the upstroke of the pump assembly 806, formation pressure causesthe ball 20 within the standing valve 622 to unseat and move upward,allowing the pumped fluid (e.g. oil) to pass through the standing valve622 and up into the pump barrel 802 of the pump system 800. With thisembodiment, the pumped fluid may pass through the annular base 638 ofthe standing valve 622, into interior of the body portion 624, andaround the unseated ball 20. The pumped fluid may then exit the bodyportion 624 by flowing out of the ports 631. Pumped fluid may travelaround the lower part of the unseated ball 20 and may exit the bodyportion 624 through the ports 631 formed within the slots 626 andthrough the ports 631 formed within the channels 628. Pumped fluid mayalso travel around the upper part of the unseated ball 20 and may exitthe body portion 624 through a top portion of the ports 631 formedwithin the channels 628. This configuration also allows the flow of thepumped fluid to create a hydraulic cushion around the unseated ball 20within the interior of the body portion 624 which prevents the unseatedball 20 from moving too much within the interior of the body portion624, thereby minimizing wear and tear of the standing valve 622.

After the pumping operations have ceased, the ball 20 will fall backdown and seat itself, thereby closing the standing valve 622. If it isdesired to drain the pump tubing, the ball 20 within the standing valve622 must be moved in order to open the standing valve 622 and allow thedrainage to occur. The prongs 316 of the seat plug 312 may be loweredand slid into the corresponding slots 626 of the standing valve 622. Ifthe prongs 316 of the seat plug 312 do not properly align with thecorresponding slots 626, the prongs 316 may contact and slide downwardlyand helically along the helical groove 644 formed on the body portion624 of the standing valve 622. The helical groove 644, therefore, helpsto guide the prongs 316 of the seat plug 312 into the correspondingslots 626. The inner surfaces of the tapered distal ends 318 of theprongs 316 will then begin to engage the top portion of the ball 20. Thebase 638 of the standing valve 622 may also have a curved inner surface639 that is dimensioned to correspond with the outer surface of thetapered distal ends 318 of the prongs 316 of the seat plug 312. Theentire inner surface 639 of the base 638 of the standing valve 522 maybe curved, or substantial benefit may still be derived if only someportions of the inner surface 639 of the base 638 were curved(particularly, the areas of the base 638 that are directly beneath theslots 626). Thus, as the seat plug 312 is pushed downwardly, the prongs316 will slightly spread apart as the ball 20 is pushed between the twoprongs 316. As the seat plug 312 continues to push downwardly, thecurved inner surface 639 of the base 638 of the standing valve 622 willengage the outer surfaces of the tapered distal ends 318 of the prongs316 and push the prongs 316 inwardly back toward each other, therebycausing the ball 20 to be lifted and to be held between the two prongs316. With the ball 20 lifted and held between the two prongs 316, thefluid that is to be drained may pass downwardly through the channel ofthe body 314 of the seat plug 312, through the channels 628 of the bodyportion 624 of the standing valve 622, through the ports 631 of thechannels 628, into the interior of the body portion 624, around andunderneath the ball 20, through the base 638 of the standing valve 622and back down into the well formation. There may be some fluid thatpasses downwardly through the slots 626 and through the ports 631 of theslots 626, but the majority of the fluid will drain through the ports631 of the channels 628, rather than the ports 631 of the slots 626.

The stem 632 of the standing valve 622 may have an annular ridge 634formed on its northern end, wherein the top surface 636 of the northernend of the stem 632 is slightly concave. The curvature of the topsurface 636 of the northern end of the stem 632 may correspond to thecurvature of the ball 805 (see FIGS. 1A-1B) of the traveling valve 804.This allows for more surface area of the top surface 636 of the stem 632to come in contact with the ball 805 of the traveling valve 804, therebycausing less damage to the ball 805 of the traveling valve 804. When thetraveling valve 804 is lowered, the prongs 316 of the seat plug 312slide into the slots 626 of the standing valve 622, and the stem 632will contact the ball 805 of the traveling valve 804 and push it up offof its seat, thereby opening the traveling valve 804 and allowing pumpedfluid to flow downwardly from the pump tubing, down through thetraveling valve 804, through the standing valve 622, and down into thewell formation.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the stem 632 may have achannel formed therethrough. This channel would allow for more flow areathrough the body portion 624 of the standing valve 622. This additionalflow area may help to reduce the movement of the ball 20 within theinterior of the body portion 624, thus lessening the wear and tear ofthe standing valve 622.

FIGS. 40-41 show another embodiment of the dump valve assembly 10 of thepresent invention. In this embodiment, the seat plug 412 (referred togenerically as seat plug 12) is adapted to mate with the standing valve722 (referred to generically as standing valve 22) and a ball 21 ispositioned within the standing valve 722, but the seat plug 412, thestanding valve 722, and the ball 21 are all smaller than the otherembodiments described above so that the standing valve 722 may beinserted into a standing valve cage 808 prior to being inserted into thepump barrel 802. In this embodiment, the seat plug 412 may be shapedexactly the same as the seat plug 312 shown in FIGS. 27-30, onlyproportionately smaller than seat plug 312. Similarly, the standingvalve 722 may be shaped exactly the same as the standing valve 522 shownin FIGS. 31-34, only proportionately smaller than standing valve 522.Once the standing valve 722 has been inserted into the standing valvecage 808, the standing valve cage 808, which may have a threadednorthern end, may be coupled to a southern end of the pump barrel 802.This differs from the other embodiments of the dump valve assembly 10shown in FIGS. 1-39 in that the other embodiments have standing valves22 that are placed directly within the pump barrel 802; i.e. no standingvalve cage 808 is needed.

The foregoing description is illustrative of particular embodiments ofthe application, but is not meant to be limitation upon the practicethereof. While embodiments of the disclosure have been described interms of various specific embodiments, those skilled in the art willrecognize that the embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced withmodifications within the spirit and scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dump valve assembly for use with a pump systemcomprising: a seat plug adapted to be coupled to a southern end of atraveling valve, the seat plug having two prongs; a standing valvehaving a body portion and an annular base, wherein the body portioncomprises; two slots adapted to receive the two prongs; at least onechannel; and at least one port for allowing pumped fluid to passtherethrough; and a ball that is adapted to be lifted by the two prongsin order to open the standing valve.
 2. The dump valve assembly of claim1 wherein the seat plug comprises: a cylindrical body with a channelformed therethrough; and wherein the two prongs are positioned oppositefrom each other and extend downwardly from the body.
 3. The dump valveassembly of claim 1 wherein each of the prongs has a northern end and asouthern end and wherein a space between the northern ends of the prongsis greater than a space between the southern ends of the prongs.
 4. Thedump valve assembly of claim 1 wherein the prongs each have a tapereddistal end.
 5. The dump valve assembly of claim 4 wherein the annularbase of the standing valve has a curved inner surface that is adapted toengage a curved outer surface of each of the tapered distal ends of theprongs and to push the prongs together when the seat plug is pusheddownwardly over the ball within the standing valve.
 6. The dump valveassembly of claim 1 wherein the prongs extend downwardly from the bodyin a helical configuration.
 7. The dump valve assembly of claim 1wherein the cylindrical body of the seat plug has an angled bottom edge.8. The dump valve assembly of claim 1 wherein the standing valve furthercomprises a stem that extends upwardly from the body portion.
 9. Thedump valve assembly of claim 8 wherein the stem comprises: a concave topsurface; and an annular ridge formed around the concave top surface. 10.The dump valve assembly of claim 8 wherein the stem has a channel formedtherethrough.
 11. The dump valve assembly of claim 1 wherein thestanding valve comprises: two channels, wherein the channels arepositioned opposite from each other and wherein each channel ispositioned between the two slots; four bottom ports located proximate asouthern end of the body portion, wherein one bottom port is formedwithin each slot and each channel; two top ports located proximate anorthern end of the body portion, wherein one top port is formed withineach of the two slots; and a center port formed at a center of thenorthern end of an interior of the body portion, wherein the two topports converge at the center port.
 12. The dump valve assembly of claim1 wherein the standing valve comprises: two channels, wherein thechannels are positioned opposite from each other and wherein eachchannel is positioned between the two slots; and four ports locatedproximate a southern end of the body portion, wherein one port is formedwithin each slot and each channel.
 13. The dump valve assembly of claim12 wherein the two ports that are located within the two channels eachhave a length that is greater than a diameter of the ball.
 14. The dumpvalve assembly of claim 6 wherein the body portion of the standing valvehas a helical shape throughout its entire length.
 15. The dump valveassembly of claim 7 wherein the body portion of the standing valvecomprises: a frustoconical top; and a helical groove formed along anorthern part of the body portion of the standing valve wherein thehelical groove spirals downwardly along a portion of the length of thebody portion.
 16. The dump valve assembly of claim 15 wherein thestanding valve comprises: two channels, wherein the channels arepositioned opposite from each other and wherein each channel ispositioned between the two slots; four ports located proximate asouthern end of the body portion, wherein one port is formed within eachslot and each channel; and a center port formed at a center of thenorthern end of an interior of the body portion, wherein the two topports converge at the center port.
 17. The dump valve assembly of claim15 further comprising a standing valve cage adapted to receive thestanding valve therein and adapted to coupled to a southern end of apump barrel.
 18. A dump valve assembly for use with a pump systemcomprising: a seat plug, the seat plug comprising: a body adapted to becoupled to a southern end of a traveling valve; and at least two prongsextending downwardly from the body of the seat plug; a standing valvehaving a body portion and an annular base, wherein the body portioncomprises: at least two slots adapted to receive the at least twoprongs; at least two channels, wherein the at least two channels arepositioned opposite from each other and wherein each channel ispositioned between two of the at least two slots; and at least fourports located proximate a southern end of the body portion, wherein oneport is formed within each slot and each channel and wherein the portsallow pumped fluid to pass upwardly therethrough during an upstroke ofpump system and also downwardly during a draining of the pump system;and a ball that is adapted to be lifted by the at least two prongs inorder to open the standing valve during the draining of the pump system.19. The dump valve assembly of claim 18 further comprising a stem thatextends upwardly from the body portion of the standing valve wherein thestem comprises: a concave top surface; and an annular ridge formedaround the concave top surface.
 20. A method for draining a pump systemcomprising the steps of: providing a dump valve assembly, wherein thedump valve assembly comprises: a seat plug adapted to be coupled to asouthern end of a traveling valve, the seat plug having two prongs; astanding valve having a body portion and an annular base, wherein thebody portion comprises; two slots adapted to receive the two prongs; twochannels, wherein the channels are positioned opposite from each otherand wherein each channel is positioned between the two slots; and fourports located proximate a southern end of the body portion, wherein oneport is formed within each slot and each channel and wherein the portsallow pumped fluid to pass upwardly therethrough during an upstroke ofpump system and also downwardly during a draining of the pump system;and a ball positioned within the standing valve; pressing the travelingvalve downwardly; inserting the two prongs of the seat plug into the twoslots of the standing valve; capturing the ball between the two prongs;lifting the traveling valve upwardly in order to unseat the ball and toopen the standing valve; and draining pumped fluid downwardly throughthe ports within the body portion of the standing valve.